


Miscalculation

by ragdollrory



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Betrayal, Blood and Injury, Episode: s03e14-15 The Boiling Rock, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 22:46:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29340024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ragdollrory/pseuds/ragdollrory
Summary: What would've happened if everything in the last moments of the Boling Rock chapter was moved just an inch to the side?
Comments: 5
Kudos: 25





	Miscalculation

**Author's Note:**

> An old horrible something I had to write after reading @non-bender-world’s (Tumblr) analysis on the posible outcome of the Boiling Rock scene between Azula and her friends. Please hate me little.

It had been too late. For it had happened too fast.

Azula closed her hands to her chest, first and second fingertips touching, her upper lip curling in disgust at the betrayal.

_“No, **you** miscalculated! You should have feared me more!”_

Gaze intent on Mai, Azula’s eyes flickered briefly to the stiletto between her fingers, assessing the possibilities, reading the girl in front of her. In the years the two of them had spent together- the training sessions, fights, or just days where they’d been bored at the palace, and discussing fighting techniques- she’d seen first hand the abilities of the non-bender, and knew there were only three possibilities now; her hands, face, or neck.

Well, she had nothing to worry about. Azula was confident in her knowledge of the treacherous friend, and Mai would be burning on the ground before the knife left her hand. Eyebrows pushed further together, Azula’s right hand lunged forward, a blue fire blast leaving her digits upon exhalation.

She’d intended for the blow to strike her chest, and watch her good-girl silk robes go up in flames, but she’d been interrupted; Ty Lee’s knuckles hit her shoulder blade, and her aim moved. Still, blue hit Mai’s shoulder, but Azula lost her footing, and her eyes widened as the stiletto left her sight.

Mai’s scream caught Ty Lee’s attention, and the acrobat left the chi-blocking unfinished, running to extinguish the flames instead. Azula’s knees hit the floor, right arm hanging limp by her side, she supported herself with the left, heat twisting her stomach upon the treason of her other friend, but it didn’t last long. A string of red droplets fell on the granite floor, and the sting of a blade finally made its way to the front of her mind, as she took fingers to her neck.

“What-?” Tears welled up in her eyes, seeing crimson tainting her hand, and feeling the iron tang of blood in her mouth. Her eyes moved towards the girls in front of her, Ty Lee helping Mai to sit up, and back to her hand.

She’d never even feel it. The knife. Ty Lee’s hand. Their betrayal.

Azula tried to speak, but the words died in her throat, and instead, an indecipherable gargle left her lips. Her legs gave, and she crumbled down, white flashing in her eyes as her head hit the floor, gasping for air, and pressing the fingers of her functioning hand to the gash.

“Azula!” Ty Lee’s voice was frantic, and the girl scrambled through the floor to her side, supporting her head on her lap, and applying more pressure to her neck. “Mai, run, get help!

“It’s okay Azula, everything will be alright.” Ty Lee chanted with broken sobs, tears falling on her cheek, and somewhere in the fog of her mind, Azula wanted to fight still, yell at her to stop lying, to leave. To leave her to die.

She couldn’t though, and she turned her head to the side, coughing up blood, desperate for a breath of air, blinded by her own tears, fingers gripping to Ty Lee’s in fear.

Azula was only half aware of Mai returning to her side, and taking her immobilised hand on hers. She hardly heard the voices surrounding her, or felt the hands working on taking of her chest plate, working on her cut. Her jaw kept quivering, and her thoughts were vague, scattered, senseless, but for a moment- For a moment she’d wanted to speak, ask for her friends’ forgiveness.

And suddenly, she was being hoisted up; there were no more hands on her, no more screaming- not even inside her head- her right hand still hanging limp, Azula was taken away from her friends. The edges of her vision darkened, but her eyes never left the blurry shape of Mai and Ty Lee hugging, tear streaked, bloodied. Together.

And then, everything darkened.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments feed me, long, short, keyboard smashes, emojis, your choice!
> 
> Come chat with me on [tumblr](https://ragdollrory.tumblr.com/).


End file.
